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Atlanta Hawks: The Implications Of The Brooklyn Nets’ Pick Swap

By Greg Chin

Jan 21, 2015; Atlanta, GA, USA; Atlanta Hawks forward Paul Millsap (4) and guard Kyle Korver (26) and center Al Horford (15) celebrate a basket by a teammate on the bench in the fourth quarter of their game against the Indiana Pacers at Philips Arena. The Hawks won 110- 91. Mandatory Credit: Jason Getz-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 21, 2015; Atlanta, GA, USA; Atlanta Hawks forward Paul Millsap (4) and guard Kyle Korver (26) and center Al Horford (15) celebrate a basket by a teammate on the bench in the fourth quarter of their game against the Indiana Pacers at Philips Arena. The Hawks won 110- 91. Mandatory Credit: Jason Getz-USA TODAY Sports /
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In the summer of 2012, the Atlanta Hawks and the Brooklyn Nets made one of the biggest trades in modern day NBA history. The Hawks decided it was time to move on from Joe Johnson, just two seasons after signing a monster six-year, $123.7 million contract extension.

The Nets and the Hawks agreed to a swap that featured Johnson moving in exchange for five role players, a future first-round draft pick and 2017 second-round pick, and the rights to two pick swaps in 2014 and 2015.

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For the most part, the trade has been pretty inconsequential for the Hawks. None of the five players traded are with the team, and their 2013 first-round draft pick (from the Nets) was traded away on draft day. The Hawks also denied the pick swap in last season’s draft.

At the time, it was regarded as just another “win now” move by the Nets. The pick swaps were perhaps the least meaningful aspect of the trade, as the Nets presumed they would be Eastern Conference playoff contenders by 2015. And their run to the second round of the playoffs last season seemed to have vindicated their decision to mortgage their future.

However, the story this season is so much more different.

The Hawks, having clinched the first seed in the Eastern Conference a few weeks ago, could be staring at a potential lottery pick in the 2015 NBA Draft. The Nets are locked in a tight battle for the last two spots in the East, with two wins separating the seventh- and the 11th-place teams in the East.

The Nets are currently seventh, but face a daunting schedule, with games against Portland, Atlanta, Washington, Milwaukee, and Chicago coming up.

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    • The most interesting game of the schedule is Wednesday (April 8) night’s clash against the Hawks. The game against the Nets is the second of a back-to-back set for the Hawks, and if anything there’s one thing we’ve learned from the Hawks this season, is that they prefer to rest their players a la Gregg Popovich and the San Antonio Spurs.

    However, when Wednesday night rolls around, coach Mike Budenholzer could have extra incentive to play his starters and unleash his full squad.

    By now, it’s a foregone conclusion that the Hawks will have the 29th pick in the upcoming draft. The Golden State Warriors are one win away from clinching the best record in the NBA, and with the Warriors owning the tie-breaker, it’s almost a certainty that the Hawks will have the second-best record. Therefore, it is a guarantee that the Hawks will exercise their right to swap picks, as the Nets will always have a better pick.

    Last season, we saw the 10th-place Cleveland Cavaliers win the first pick in the 2014 NBA Draft. With a 1.7 percent chance of winning it, they had the ninth-best odds of coming away with the No. 1 pick. If the Brooklyn Nets miss the playoffs this season, it is not beyond the realms of possibility that the Hawks end up with No. 1 pick.

    The odds are very slim, but it isn’t impossible.

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